Low-Purine Diet

Disclaimer: Results are not guaranteed*** and may vary from person to person***.

A low-purine diet is exactly as it sounds: an eating regimen which limits foods with high levels of purine.

Purine is an organic compound found in many foods, and it’s also produced by the body. When purine is taken in through food, it’s broken down into uric acid, which then typically gets filtered through the kidneys and is eliminated via urine.

Some people aren’t able to properly filter out the uric acid, so it remains and causes a build-up in the joints, which can then develop into an arthritis known as gout. Eating the top ten foods that lower uric acid is a good way to help prevent this from happening.

Who Should Follow a Low-Purine Diet?

A low-purine diet might be recommended by a doctor gout is present or if there is a higher than normal level of uric acid in urine. Gout can cause pain, redness, and inflammation in the joints, and while a gout diet can help alleviate these symptoms, it doesn’t eliminate them entirely. Speak with a doctor about a low-purine diet and the benefits it might have. You will still need to take any prescribed medications for gout if you are currently on them; diet alone is not enough.Ad

Low-Purine Diet Foods to Include

A low-purine diet doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy delicious foods; it simply means that some foods will have to be limited and perhaps a handful of others will have to be avoided. With so many food options available today, it won’t even feel like a diet, plus eating the three foods that fight gout will help with uric acid. It’s also important to drink up to 12 glasses of fluids every day to help prevent kidney stones from forming. Here is a list of foods that can be enjoyed on a gout diet.

Skim milk

Low-fat yogurt

All fruit and fruit juices

All breads, pastas, rice, potatoes

All vegetables, with only a few restrictions (see “Foods to Avoid,” below)

Beef, lamb, veal, poultry

Eggs

Peanut butter

Nuts

Low-fat cheese

Carbonated drinks

Coffee, tea

Salt, herbs, spices

Condiments: ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, relish

Low-fat frozen yogurt

Vanilla wafers, angel food cake

Five foods that are good for gout and that should be consumed regularly are vegetables, coffee (yes, for real!), cherries, low-fat dairy products, and water. Water in particular, has been shown by research to contribute to fewer gout flare-ups.

Low-Purine Diet Foods to Avoid

Avoiding alcohol is a big change that many will have trouble adjusting too, but talk to your doctor and see what low levels of alcohol can be consumed without causing too much uric acid production. Below is a list of foods to avoid with gout and are on a low-purine diet. High-fat foods need to be avoided, or at the very least, limited.

Alcohol, all types

High-fat breads, biscuits, muffins

Avocados

Whole milk products, sour cream

Fried foods

Cream sauces

Any salted fish like sardines and anchovies

Organ meats like liver, kidneys

Gravies

Baker’s and brewer’s yeast

High-fat desserts like ice cream, cake, pie, squares

Meat-based soup stocks

Bacon, veal, venison

Tips for Following a Low-Purine Diet

Following a low-purine diet menu for gout might seem tricky at first, but as with any diet it simply requires changing habits and how food is looked at. Food is primarily for fuel and to give the body the nutrients it needs to function optimally. Once food is looked at through this lens and not the lens of pleasure, any diet, including the gout diet, will be easier to tackle and achieve success with. To assist in your success, below are a few tips for following the low-purine diet:

Decide if a low-purine diet is for you. Discuss it with your doctor and determine if it’s the right step to take in managing your gout and kidney stones.

Understand what purine and uric acid are and how they contribute to gout flare-ups.

If you need to have something alcoholic, choose wine over beer because beer has a lot of yeast in it, which can lead to greater production of uric acid.

Avoid cauliflower, spinach and mushrooms because they are high in purine.

Drink a lot of water to help flush the uric acid out of your system.

Try the Mediterranean diet. The Mediterranean diet is naturally low in purine, and according to a study published in the Scandinavian Journal of Rheumatology, it can help lower uric acid levels.

After receiving athletic and academic awards at Yale and Stanford, Jeff has coached those seeking peak wellness, appeared on ABC News 20/20 and served as a consultant for CBS News 60 Minutes and The Late Show with David Letterman. As the author of many research studies and practicing anesthesiology/critical care medicine for more than 20 years, Jeff can be your guide to common sense decision making regarding drugs, supplements and vitamins. With no corporate sponsors and no vitamins or supplements... Read Full Bio »

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